Poll finds parents struggle to limit screen time of children


gcse

A poll has found that many parents in the UK claim it is easier to encourage their children to do their homework, have a bath or go to sleep, than it is to encourage them to stop using their TV, laptop or phone.

Action for Children, a charity, discovered that 23.1 per cent of parents found it hard to control how much time their children spend in front of a screen, noticeably higher than the 10 per cent who said they struggle to get their children to do their homework.

Less than 5 per cent struggled to make their children take a bath, while 17.5 reported they found it hard to get their children to go to bed.

As a result, the charity has released advice on how parents can reduce the amount of screen time their children are exposed to.

They recommend making family plans away from technology, playing classic childhood games which do not include technology, and also creating a schedule which will involve having an hour of non-technology activities for every hour technology is used.

“Technology is an often necessary part of the lives of children and parents alike, but it’s important to maintain a balance with other activities and quality family time.”

Last year, a report by Cambridge University found screen time to affect GCSE grades.

X